First Graders = Easily Excited about Tiny Houses.

During a recent filming trip to the Boston area, we stopped by a first grade classroom at Pierce Elementary School for a slideshow and discussion about living small.

These six-year-olds, familiar with the thrills of building forts and tree houses, enamored with the idea of small spaces to call their own, were quite enthusiastic about our building project. A gasp rose up from the carpet, where they all studiously sat cross-legged, each time we showed a new slide on the overhead projector.

Here are a few of our favorite first grade comments about tiny houses:

“If I was a muscle man, I could pull a tiny house with me wherever I went.”

“I’d like to have a tiny house because then I could be close to nature and just open my door and be right in the outdoors.”

“Tiny houses are good because if you ever get into trouble, you can move your house to safety.”

“I would like to live in a tiny house because it’s like living in a tree house.”

“My grandmother’s house in China is tiny and I like it.”

“If I had a tiny house, birds could come and make nests on my roof. And I would let them.”

“Once I went to Australia with my family and we stayed in a tiny house.”

Our presentation also inspired a few works of art in the classroom:

At the end of the lesson, when Miss Herard asked, “Who in this room would like to build their own tiny house someday?” twenty little hands instantly shot up. We hope to have inspired at least a few students to tackle their own D.I.Y. projects, and to value the quality of their homes rather than the quantity of their stuff.

~ written by Merete Mueller, 11/3/11

This entry was posted on November 5, 2011. It was filed under Making the Film.